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what does forgiveness actually require?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Matthew 18:21-22

“Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but until seventy times seven.””

This exchange is part of a longer discourse by Jesus to his disciples about life in the community of believers. It follows teachings on humility and dealing with a sinning brother, and precedes the parable of the unforgiving servant, which illustrates the consequences of withholding forgiveness.

What might it look like to offer forgiveness not as a finite transaction, but as an ongoing posture towards others?

Then — the setting

This passage comes from the Gospel of Matthew, likely written in the late 1st century CE for a Jewish-Christian audience. The question from Peter about 'seven times' reflects a common rabbinic teaching of the time, which suggested a limit to forgiveness, often three or four times for the same offense. Peter's suggestion of 'seven times' was already a generous offer, exceeding the common standard and perhaps aiming for a 'perfect' number of forgiveness. Jesus's response, 'seventy times seven' (or 'seventy-seven times' in some interpretations, both meaning an innumerable amount), radically redefines the expectation, moving it from a measurable act to an unlimited attitude within the community.

Across the Testaments

In the Old Testament, forgiveness is often tied to repentance, sacrifice, and restitution for wrongs. While God's forgiveness for Israel is depicted as abundant (e.g., Psalm 103:2-3), the expectation for human-to-human forgiveness sometimes included limits or specific conditions. Jesus's teaching in Matthew 18, particularly the 'seventy times seven,' intensifies and expands the Old Testament's understanding of forgiveness, pushing beyond legalistic limits towards a boundless, grace-filled approach. The New Testament further develops this, often linking human forgiveness directly to the forgiveness received from God through Christ.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Matthew 6:14-15
Jesus links God's forgiveness of us to our forgiveness of others in his sermon on the mount.
Colossians 3:13
Paul encourages believers to bear with one another and forgive, just as the Lord forgave them.
Luke 17:3-4
Jesus also teaches his disciples to forgive a repentant brother repeatedly, even seven times in a day.

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